What's notably strange is the Hellas Basin’s darkness, especially when you consider that the sun is beaming directly down on it — something that caught even NASA scientists off guard.

Hellas Basin appears darker due to atmospheric effects. NASA/ESA/CSA/STScI and Mars JWST/GTO team NASA released a graphic showing what Webb could see in two different wavelengths of infrared light.

Map of Mars with the tropics (±25°) shaded. With sufficient greenhouse warming, the first tree on Mars grows outside the tropics in Hellas Basin.

“The Hellas Basin is a lower altitude, and thus experiences higher air pressure,” said Villanueva, who is also the principal investigator of Mars and Ocean Worlds studies for Webb.

"The Hellas Basin is a lower altitude, and thus experiences higher air pressure," said Villanueva, who is also the principal investigator of Mars and Ocean Worlds studies for Webb.

"The Hellas Basin is a lower altitude, and thus experiences higher air pressure," said Villanueva, who is also the principal investigator of Mars and Ocean Worlds studies for Webb.

"The Hellas Basin is a lower altitude, and thus experiences higher air pressure," said Villanueva, who is also the principal investigator of Mars and Ocean Worlds studies for Webb.